Page 35 of Grimm County Wishes (Grimm County Lawmen #4)

“ W hat happened on that carriage ride? Based on what I saw, I’m not sure I want your hands anywhere near me,” Jazz asked, yanking her hand from Al’s.

He stood back, holding his palms up. “Whatever you think happened, I promise you’re wrong. Back me up, Diane.”

Diane snickered. “Sorry, lover boy. I’m not allowed to interfere. I’m the impartial camerawoman. I see, speak, and hear no evil. I just film it.”

“And what kind of evils did she film, Al?” Jazz’s eyes narrowed.

Al grinned. “The kind that involves a horse taking a massive shit every three minutes.”

Jazz’s mouth dropped. “What?”

He nodded. “You heard me. And it turns out Iona isn’t much of a nature chick, so she threw up. Several times.”

Jazz turned toward Diane. “And you got all that on tape?”

“Sure did,” Diane answered .

“As soon as we were done, I bolted out of there. I couldn’t risk her throwing up on me. Plus the smell was, yech.” He shivered.

Jazz laughed again. “How romantic.”

Diane lowered her camera and stepped back. “I’ve got to rig up the camera for your date, but that was great. America will love your banter.”

Al glanced at the palm of his hand, then back up at Jazz. “You’re looking very fetching this evening.”

“Fetching?” Jazz laughed.

“What can I say,” Al said with a wink. “You’re the kind of girl that makes a guy want to expand his vocabulary.”

Jazz laughed again. “Oh my. You certainly have all the lines down.”

He glanced down again, squinting before looking back up. “I’m glad we’re getting to have the date together. After tonight, I’ll forever think of you when I see a sunset.”

“Damn, that is really …” Jazz paused. “Hey, what’s on your hand?”

His head jerked up. “What? Nothing.” He should have known he couldn’t pull this off. Christian had made it look so easy, and it was so much better than memorizing lines.

“Let me see.”

“No.” He shoved his hand in his pocket. “Where’s Lindsey? We need to get going. ”

“Show me your hand, Al.”

He sighed and pulled out his hand, turning his palm to show her the notes he’d written.

She burst into laughter. “You have a cheat sheet?”

“Uh, maybe?” Laughter was good. If she was laughing, she wasn’t yelling.

“But why?”

“Before the show, I sat down with a friend who is obsessed with reality dating shows. Well, all shows really, but I asked her to tell me what I should say to win over the ladies. She gave me some key lines and I didn’t want to mess them up, so I wrote them down.”

“Al, you know you’re handsome, fun, and a real catch, right?”

Al grinned. This was going way better than he expected.

“So, were you trying to win over the ladies, or the audience at home?”

The grin slid off his face. “Say what now?”

“These lines, if they aren’t coming from your heart, then whoever you win over isn’t falling for the real you. I’m wondering if you’re really here for the right reasons.”

“Uh …” Jeez, no wonder the prison systems were overflowing when there were prosecutors like this. He was ready to admit to everything .

“What are you doing here, Al? Do you even want to find love? Or do you want more screen time?”

“I’m trying to be the man that you all want me to be.”

“And who do you think I want you to be?”

“The handsome reality star sheriff’s deputy who always says and does the right thing?”

“Sure, that sounds like a nice guy. But is that who you are? Do you even know? Or is that just a person you’ve developed to meet everyone else’s expectations?”

Al scratched his jaw. “I don’t even know anymore.”

Jazz nodded. “I see. When’s the last time you went on a vacation?”

“Last year. Jeannie and I went to the Outer Banks. I had to do a bunch of promos for a tourism company while I was there, but it was free so that was cool.”

“If you worked, it doesn’t count. When is the last time you went somewhere because that’s where you wanted to go? And you didn’t work, didn’t try to make it into anything more than a couple days to relax and have fun?”

Al thought for a minute. “Well, um, never, I guess.”

Jazz laughed. “You know, we may be more alike than I realized. This is my first vacation in years, and it’s not even a vacation. If you could go anywhere, where would you go and what would you do? ”

Al thought for a minute. “Well, Jeannie and I always talked about going on a cruise.”

“Interesting,” Jazz said, a sly grin on her face. “That’s your ideal vacation? A cruise with Jeannie?”

Al nodded, smiling. “Yeah. To get on a giant boat and eat, drink, and dance our way across the Atlantic. I would really enjoy that.”

“Jazz!” Lindsey shouted, walking up to them. “Why haven’t you signed the waiver? We need to start filming.”

She turned to Lindsey. “Yeah, I’m not signing that.”

“You have to. Our risk department won’t let you go parasailing without signing the waiver. Al’s already signed his.”

“Did you even read it?” Jazz asked him.

Al shrugged. He’d signed something earlier, not too sure what it was for though.

“Well, I did. And look, I understand they aren’t responsible for a flock of birds getting tangled up in the ropes, causing us to plummet to our deaths. However, I refuse to waive my right to sue if our deaths are due to negligence, misconduct, or an intoxicated staff member.”

Al’s eyes widened. “It said all that?”

Jazz shrugged. “Pretty much.”

“Are you serious?” Lindsey asked, her face paling. “There’s no backup plan. ”

“We can sit on the bench and talk,” Al offered, trying to hide his disappointment. He’d never been parasailing and had been excited to try it.

“What about a body double?” Diane asked.

Lindsey’s head snapped. “A what?”

“A body double. If this was a regular tv show, they’d do that for an actor, so we should be able to do the same for Jazz.”

Jazz gave Diane a wide smile.

“They were going to wear helmets anyway, so that makes it even better. The way the camera is rigged, the footage will be rocky. It shouldn’t be too much trouble for a special effects team to swap out Jazz’s face.”

Lindsey’s eyes narrowed as she thought. “Brilliant!” she shouted. “Diane, you have a knack for this.” She called over to Jeannie. “Come over here and sign this paper.”

“Good luck!” Jazz cackled as Jeannie walked away.

***

“Thanks for doing this.” Al grinned at Jeannie as he placed the helmet on her head.

He took his time buckling the chin strap, allowing his fingers to brush along her cheeks.

Her eyes flared, and he knew she was as affected by their closeness as he was.

“For a second there, I thought I’d have to go on another carriage ride and trust me when I say once was enough. ”

Jeannie rolled her eyes, pulling away from his hands. “Surely the great and powerful Al has more stamina than that?”

Al chuckled. “Just wait until you see the footage. Then you’ll understand.”

“That’s a hard pass. I’ve seen enough already.”

Al shrugged. “Suit yourself. It’s good stuff though. Oh look! The boat is about to take off.”

Jeannie took a deep breath and nodded. “The things I do for my friends.”

“You’re the best, Jeannie-girl.”

The engine roared and the boat moved across the harbor, picking up speed as they moved away from the shore.

“Al!” Jeannie screamed as their parachute caught wind and slowly rose in the sky. “I changed my mind! Tell them to stop!”

“No way! This is amazing!”

“I’m too young to die!” she wailed, slamming her eyes shut.

Al laughed. “You will not die.” After a minute, the rope grew taut, and they maintained their height in the air. “Now open your eyes. ”

“I can’t! Just tell me when it’s over. I don’t have to look. They’re going to put Jazz’s face over mine.”

“Nope. This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Open your eyes and look.”

“It’s fine. I’m good.”

“Do you trust me?”

“Yes. More than anybody.”

“Then open your eyes. I promise you’ve never seen anything like this. It’s like a whole new world up here.”

Jeannie opened one eye, then gasped and opened the other. “Oh my God! Al! This is amazing! Like really fucking amazing! Look at those city lights, they’re like diamonds.”

The boat traveled down the harbor as they admired the cityscape, pointing out various landmarks as they passed.

“It’s so peaceful up here,” Al said. “No expectations. No one to tell us what we should or shouldn’t do.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean,” she said, sighing. “Hey, if I fell out of this thing, do you think I’d look like a shooting star?”

“What the fuck, Jeannie? Don’t jinx us.”

***

As beautiful as the view of the city was, Al couldn’t help but stare at the even more beautiful woman next to him. Her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes were bright with wonder. It had been a long time since he’d seen her smile so brightly.

Eventually their magical ride in the air came to an end, and they were slowly lowered back down to the boat. The landing was a little wobbly, and he took full advantage of holding on to Jeannie as they steadied themselves.

He stared into her eyes as he unbuckled her helmet. His hand smoothed through her tangled hair. “I probably shouldn’t say this, but I’m glad Jazz backed out. That was the most amazing experience I’ve ever had, and I’m glad I got to share it with you.”

“And that’s a wrap!” Lindsey shouted as the boat landed at the dock. “Great work tonight. Everybody can pack up and we’ll see you tomorrow night for the finale.”

“Jeannie, thanks for filling in,” Jazz said.

“It was my pleasure.” Jeannie smiled.

Jazz nodded, pausing before she walked toward the car. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Actually, I don’t think I’ll make the finale.” Jeannie looked away as she stepped out of the harness.

“What?” Al asked, shock coursing through his system. “What do you mean you won’t make it? I can’t film the finale without you. ”

Jeannie rolled her eyes. “Of course you can. It’s not like I’m the director.” She looked around the crew. “Or even one of the camera people.”

He crossed his arms over his chest. “Are you seriously skipping it? What could be more important?”

Jeannie sighed. “I didn’t want to say anything, but it’s a job interview. A record label in the city offered me a marketing position. It’s a great opportunity, so I’m going to check it out.”

His eyes narrowed. “Is it one of those remote jobs?”

“Um, no, I don’t think so.”

“You don’t think so?” Al shook his head. “Are you leaving me?” What was she thinking? He’d done what she asked. How could she leave him now?

“No. Of course not. I mean, not yet anyway.” She shrugged her shoulders and looked up at the sky. “Like I said, it’s just an interview. And come on, Al, you might be engaged tomorrow. You’ll be so busy with your new fiancée you won’t even notice I’m gone.”

Al dropped his arms and looked down at his feet. “But I need you. You’re my …” He looked around, struggling for the words.

“Your what, Al?” she asked quietly.

My world. My heart. “My friend. My publicist. My neighbor.” God, what did she want to hear? “I need you. ”

Jeannie shook her head. “No, you don’t. You’ve got multiple endorsement deals. You’re on two television shows and the star of one of them. In a few days, you’ll have enough money for Ben’s attorney.”

Al blinked and ran a hand through his hair. “I couldn’t have done any of that without you.”

Jeannie smiled. “You are right about that. But we did what we set out to do. All your wishes have come true. And now it’s time for me to move on.”

“Move on? But you can’t.” His heart cracked. “I still need you.”

“To be your publicist?”

Al ran his fingers through his hair. “Yeah. I mean, no.” Fuck, this was all going so wrong. But she’d made it clear that she didn’t want any declarations of love from him. He had no idea what to say anymore.

Jeannie stepped back, blinking quickly. “Well, that’s too bad. You don’t get to keep me. I want to see what else the world has to offer. I’ve been cooped up in that town for too long.”

Al wanted to get on his hands and knees and beg her to stay, but she was right. She deserved the world, and he’d be a selfish bastard to keep her from that. But did it have to be tomorrow ?

“Are you sure the company is legit? Who has interviews at night?”

She shrugged. “I’m going on a tour and meeting with the owner, Victor Crawford. He said he spends most of the day in the studio with musicians, so the only time he can meet is later in the evening. This is New York City, not po-dunk Grimm County. That’s how successful people do things.”

“So you would really leave me like that? You’re going to abandon me? Leave me to do it alone? Like Ginger?” He didn’t give a shit about her skipping out on the final arraignment. Hell, he’d skip it too if he could. But leaving Grimm without him? Permanently?

Jeannie’s head reared back. “I know you did not compare me to your crackwhore of a mother.”

Al raised an eyebrow. It wasn’t an unfair comparison. He’d loved both women. And both women had left him.

“After everything I’ve done for you? After everything I’ve given …

You know what? Kiss my ass, Aloysius. You don’t have to worry about losing me to this other company, because I quit.

You hear me? I quit. Not because I have another job offer.

But because I. Quit. You.” She turned, her ponytail whipping in the wind.

Al buried his face in his hands. He fought the urge to call out to her, to beg her forgiveness, to beg her to stay.

She told him from the beginning that she didn’t want more from him, and he had to accept that.

Besides, there were two women fighting for him right now, both eager to get a proposal and spend their lives with him.

He’d be damned if he spent another second chasing after someone who didn’t want him.

He slowly lowered his hands, ready to find his ride and get out of there. As he looked up, he found the shocked face of Diane, standing there with her camera. She’d recorded everything. Of course she had.